Chapter 24

After hearing everything, Tsumiki scowled. "You're telling me that you are involved with fighting off curses, and I'm supposed to just watch from the sidelines while you put yourself in danger?!" Tsumiki exclaimed. Megumi retorted, "I can't let you get hurt! Not after what happened earlier!" "I'm your sister," Tsumiki exerted, "You are my responsibility, and I will not allow you to handle this all yourself!" "Weren't you scared before this?" Megumi asked. "That was before I knew what was going on and what you've been putting yourself through!" Tsumiki returned aggressively, refusing to back down. While the two Fushiguro siblings bickered, Nobara crossed her arms, unsure how to interject. Nobara wanted to stick up for Megumi because he had a point about Tsumiki getting in over her head. Yet, her newfound resolve to care for her friends made her see Tsumiki's point behind her aggression. If Megumi shouldered the burden on his own, it would crush him, as it has to countless jujutsu sorcerers before him. "Tsumiki, I told you the higher-ups and the Zen'in clan especially won't accept you. They'd treat you horribly!" Megumi exclaimed. "I don't care what they do to me!" Tsumiki proclaimed, "I will not abandon you to go fight those things for my sake."

At this point, Yuta dropped down from his perch point. "Fushiguro, I need to speak with you," Yuta began, walking over to Megumi. "Okkotsu-sempai," Megumi replied respectfully, "What is it?" "I think I know a way to help with this situation," Yuta answered. "Who is this?" Tsumiki asked. "Call me Okkotsu," Yuta answered, "You're Tsumiki, right? Fushigurotalks about you a lot." Tsumiki stepped back, eyeing Yuta with widened eyes and sweat running down her face. "What's wrong?" Yuta asked. "You… That aura you have is overwhelming!" Tsumiki answered. "Ah," Yuta continued, "So you can use curse energy. No wonder Fushiguro wants to get you outside of Tokyo." Yuta motioned behind him for someone to come over. Once he did that, Yuki walked over with a friendly smile. Tsumiki's features softened when she saw Yuki, her heartbeat slowing. "Hello dear. What kind of guys are you into?" Yuki asked enthusiastically. Tsumiki, admittedly shaken up by the sudden question, calmed herself and thought about her answer. "I like strong, confident guys who can honor my boundaries and are respectful to me. They also need to have integrity and maturity," Tsumiki answered, which made Megumi's head turn towards her as he never heard Tsumiki admit this before. Yuki nodded, understanding that Tsumiki was a motherly girl who was a loyal protector of those she cared for. "Ah, what a nice answer. My name's Yuki Tsukumo. What's your name?" Yuki asked. "I'm Tsumiki Fushiguro, nice to meet you," Tsumiki answered softly.

Yuki smiled, offering, "If it's all right with you, I can help you learn more about your curse technique." Then, Todo came over, having overheard the conversation with Yuki. "Tsukumo-Sensei," Todo began, "Please allow me to assist you!" Yuki chuckled, knowing that Todo's loyalty to her affected his heart. "Of course, Todo-kun. I'll need all the help I can get to help Tsumiki-san with her curse energy without those pesky higher-ups interfering~!" Yuki replied cheerfully. After considering Yuki's proposal, Megumi allowed Yuki to take Tsumiki in, since she is already great at hiding from the higher-ups. Tsumiki would be safe with her. Yuta walked up to Megumi. "I'll ensure everyone else doesn't hear anything about your sister until she can control her curse energy. After that, we'll introduce her to the higher-ups together. That's the only way to give her a fighting chance," Yuta assured. "Thank you, Okkotsu-Sempai," Megumi answered, looking off into the distance, "I wish I could do more…" Yuta nodded before remarking, "Stay strong, Fushiguro. You're doing what you can." Yuta walked off, leaving Megumi to think.

Nobara, having stayed off to the side while the exchange happened, noticed Megumi's furrowed brow and the tension in facial muscles. Nobara's features softened as she walked to Megumi's side. "Hey," Nobara said with a rare, soft tone, "You, ok?" Megumi looked away, retracting from her. "Fushiguro…" Nobara pouted, pinching Megumi's cheek before turning him around, "After everything you, me, Itadori, and Josefu have gone through together, don't you think we should talk more often?" Megumi sighed, his eyes clouded and wet with unshed tears. "I…" Megumi started, "I don't want to lose her, Kugisaki." Nobara frowned, her eyes softening at Megumi's worry. "I understand," Nobara stated, a hint of sympathy in her tone, "I may have been from a small town. But even I can understand being separated from someone you care about." Megumi wiped his eyes and looked away from Nobara, taking a deep breath and scowling. "I can't just sit on the sidelines, not when Tsumiki is in danger. And Hanto is badly hurt." Megumi exclaimed. Nobara's eyes widened, and her face paled, "Wait, Hanto is hurt?! What happened to him?" Megumi frowned, looking into Nobara's eyes. "He pushed himself too far… Trying to save Tsumiki and me," Megumi answered, his voice horse and slightly deeper than usual. "Is he alive?" Nobara asked. "Yes," Megumi answered, "But he's in critical condition."

Nobara looked at the ground, clearly conflicted about Josefu's actions. "And Itadori?" Nobara asked. "Disappeared," Megumi answered, "I don't know where he is." Nobara's gaze returned to Megumi's, her lips growing tight as she furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm going to train," Nobara vowed, "To help you, Hanto, and Itadori. Just you wait! You'll all be depending on me soon enough." Megumi's frown dissolved, his eyes tightening as his brow furrowed. "You know what? I'm going to get stronger too." Megumi confessed. "Oh?" Nobara replied, a smirk forming on her lips, "Want to compare when we're done?" "Why not?" Megumi answered, his features softening to a neutral expression, "It'll help us train." Nobara chuckled, her smirk extending into a smile. "I'll be looking forward to it!" Nobara exclaimed, walking off to the outdoor training area. Megumi, on the other hand, walked over to the dojo where Kusakabe was. "Hmm?" Kusakabe mused, looking up at Megumi. "Do you need something for me?" Kusakabe asked. "Kusakabe-sensei, please give me some switch training on the fundamentals of barrier techniques," Megumi requested, holding his breath at the end of his statement. "What inspired you to learn this?" Kusakabe asked. He wasn't used to receiving students' teaching requests, especially from Megumi. "Given what's happened recently, I think it's better to get a clearer understanding of barrier techniques so I can use them to enhance my curse technique," Megumi explained. Kusakabe nodded, standing up on his feet. "Very well," Kusakabe got into position eagerly, ready to teach, "Prepare yourself!"

Shoko looked over her records, checking Maki's and Joesfu's conditions. Thankfully, Josefu was making a speedy recovery. 'Ugh…' Josefu thought, lulling a bit as he began to toss and turn. Well, aren't we in denial? The forces started, You ought to remember what's at stake. After all, we hate getting bored. At least the other characters are getting interesting to offshoot your reluctance. The show isn't over. So, you'd better make it a good one! The forces left Josefu to reflect on his actions and interpretation of events. Shoko, noticing Josefu's tossing and turning, stabilized Josefu, healing more of his burn wounds and checking his body for any muscle contractions, breathing difficulties, or problems with his heart rhythm. While Shoko tended to Josefu's wounds, he jolted awake, making her flinch. "Ugh…" Josefu groaned, holding his head. "Ah. You're awake. How are you feeling?" Shoko asked. "A bit lightheaded…" Josefu answered. "Any muscle pain or trouble breathing?" Shoko asked. "No," Josefu groaned, sitting up before Shoko made him lay back down. "Listen, there isn't much time to talk. It would be best you rest for a while," Shoko stated. "Why?" Josefu asked. "The higher-ups want to see you. However, since you entered critical condition, I was able to buy some time for you to recover. I wouldn't expect them to wait for long, though. So, get as much rest as you can to prepare yourself. If there's any updates, I'll let you know." Shoko explained with a clinical, calm tone. Josefu breathed and got comfortable as Shoko walked off to the balcony.

Meanwhile, Tsumiki found her stomach violently churning as she walked around to Yuki's hideout, her senses working overtime to compensate for this new change. When she opened her eyes, Tsumiki could see all traces of curse energy in any area she perceived. Her sense of touch, taste, and smell also became linked to curse energy. Being behind Todo, Tsumiki could sense he was the easiest. Todo's curse energy had an umami taste like a sturdy soup, with the smell of sweet dough with a hint of cinnamon, similar to a ripe persimmon. Todo's flow of curse energy also carried a texture similar to the softness of bubbles with steel rings inside them. The stagnant curse energy that stuck to everything else not only appeared like fingerprints and footprints but also carried the fragrance of dust or murky water, soiled with contaminants for the environment, in contrast to the jujutsu sorcerers, whose curse energy is more refined, yet still before it enters the flow. Looking at Yuki, Tsumiki began to see a flow that had a titanium hard surface, yet within it was an unfurling scent of charcoal, being burned into pure white flames as the curse flow passed by Yuki's heart, softening the surface as it loops back to Yuki's back, cooling down and hardening before returning to her stomach. After taking a few breaths and focusing on a nearby roof, Tsumiki's senses relaxed and returned to normal, with no one noticing what she just experienced.

Yuki brought Tsumiki to her hidden training room. Tsumiki sat with rapt attention as Yuki explained, "All right! To begin, let's start with a basic explanation. Curse energy is like the energy in a car battery. It is fuel for everything related to curses and curse techniques." Tsumiki nodded, understanding Yuki's descriptions before she explained curse techniques as applications for a jujutsu sorcerer's identity rather than an extension of their curse energy. This description would continue until it was time for Tsumiki to learn how to maintain her curse energy in a flow state. For this, Yuki had Todo help her out. "Ok!" Todo began, eager to teach, "I want you to show me how you use your curse energy." Tsumiki attempted this, yet despite Yuki's explanations, Tsumiki couldn't have her energy flow as instructed since it only entered her senses, disorienting her once again. Yuki and Todo noticed Tsumiki's disoriented face as her eyes dialed and her mouth went slack. Upon closer inspection, Yuki noticed curse energy lacing Tsumiki's eyes and mouth as if the energy flowed through her bloodstream rather than her skeletal muscle structure. Todo used his curse energy to observe how Tsumiki was doing. His eyes widened as he saw Tsumiki's curse energy flow from her stomach directly into her eyes, nose, mouth (both jaws and tongue), ears, and the entirety of her skin tissue by mimicking the flow of her bloodstream.

Yuki, noticing Todo's expression, asked, "Todo-kun, what's wrong?" Todo turned to Yuki. "Tsukumo-Sensei, her curse energy is flowing like the currents of her bloodstream…" Yuki raised her eyebrows, realizing her previous observations were correct. Yuki nodded, remarking, "Seems my new student has a natural talent for reinforcing herself with curse energy." Todo's bemused frown suddenly turned to a small smile. "Then that means she needs to learn where to control her flow," Todo concluded just as Tsumiki returned from her curse-induced state. "Exactly, Todo-kun," Yuki agreed. "Erm, I'm sorry?"

Tsumiki asked, her right eyebrow raised as she looked between Todo and Yuki, trying to piece together the conclusion they came to. "I'll handle it from here, Todo-kun. Can you check on the others for me?" Yuki asked. "Understood Tsukumo-Sensei!" Todo exclaimed before running off. Yuki looked back at Tsumiki with a warm smile. "Don't worry Fushiguro-san," Yuki began, patting Tsumiki's shoulder, "The first step of the journey is always the hardest. Just keep an open mind, ok?" "Ok," Tsumiki replied. Tsumiki may've had no idea what was happening. Yet, if she wanted to support Megumi, she would endure whatever Yuki threw her way to help him.